Hunger in our state is real. 1
in 10 people in Minnesota struggle to put
food on the table.

In the last decade, senior citizens and working families increasingly visited Minnesota food shelves and meal programs. High housing costs, prescription drug
costs, low wage jobs, and unemployment are often cited by these populations as
reasons for increased reliance on emergency food sources.

The “new
normal” in food shelf visits

The number of visits to food shelves rose dramatically through the
recession and has stayed high despite the recovery. Food shelves had 3,327,388 visits statewide
in 2016 – the 6th straight year of over 3 million visits.

More than 6 people visit a food shelf every minute in Minnesota.

Senior
hunger on the rise

Seniors are the fastest growing group of Minnesota food shelf users. The number of seniors visiting food shelves
grew 38.6% from 2012 to 2016.

Feeding
millions

In 2016, community meal programs in Minnesota provided over 2
million meals to children, adults, and seniors in need throughout the state.

Walk to End Hunger is presented by the Minnesota Hunger Initiative (formerly the Twin Cities Hunger Initiative), a collaboration of hunger relief partner agencies that have developed a definitive plan to eliminate hunger in the Twin Cities and across the state of Minnesota.